Monaco v Barcelona

Monaco vs Barcelona Preview

Last but certainly not least in this week's opening fixtures of this season's Champions League is this upcoming clash between French hosts Monaco and their Spanish counterparts, Barcelona, when the two teams collide at the Stade Louis-II with both teams eager to start their respective campaigns with a win.

Monaco started their new season with a 3-0 win against Barcelona in the Trofeo Joan Gamper and the hosts have followed that up with a four-match unbeaten start to their Ligue 1 campaign which consists of three wins and a draw.

Victories against St Etienne, Lyon and Auxerre along with a point gained in a draw with Lens have handed Adi Hutter's side a solid start to the season and the French side will therefore fancy their chances with home advantage here on Thursday night.

However, this may be easier said than done on the Champions League stage as Monaco have managed to capture just two wins in their previous 20 ties overall, whilst also slipping to no fewer than 13 defeats within this period as well.

Barcelona have embarked upon an impressive five-match winning streak following the aforementioned 3-0 loss to Monaco, as the Spanish giants have racked up wins in the domestic La Liga against the likes of Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid and Girona respectively.

The visitors currently sit top of the La Liga standings where they hold a four-point lead over second placed rivals Real Madrid, and even more impressive is the fact that Hans Flick's side have already plundered a total of 17 goals within these opening five league matches.

The main perpetrator in front of goal has been Robert Lewandowski who has scored four goals in the five games played to date and he'll no doubt be looking to add to his goalscoring tally at the Stade Louis-II on Thursday night.

On the Champions League front, Barcelona have won seven out of their last 11 ties overall which includes an impressive 3-2 win away at PSG towards the end of the last campaign.

Monaco v Barcelona Verdict

Monaco have struggled at Champions League level which gives Barcelona a decent chance of securing a result here.

Therefore, our main bet will be Barcelona win @ 1.75

Other side bets worth considering:

Barcelona win & Over 2 goals @ 2.20

Correct Score: Barcelona 2-1 @ 8.50